We’ve written for a few weeks about Brighton’s “demands” for £100m for Moises Caicedo, but we have since been expecting those demands to fall.
In fact, if anything, they’ve been reinforced by other moves in the market. The Daily Telegraph‘s piece today claims that Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal from West Ham (which will be completed in the next couple of days for £100m plus £5m in potential bonuses) has effectively reset the market, with Brighton now even more confident in asking for the same.
There was a sliding doors moment back in January, when Arsenal bid £70m for Caicedo and were denied, proving at the time that Brighton were serious about their valuations, but also ultimately leading to Arsenal having to move on from the Ecuador star and target Rice for this summer instead.
Caicedo could well go on to be as good as Rice – perhaps better – but right now the England international has the edge in terms of Premier League experience and looks a top class central midfielder who could slot into most teams in Europe and do well.
If we do end up getting Caicedo for £100m or thereabouts, the debates with Arsenal fans will rage for a long time over who got the better deal. Chelsea are getting to the point where just getting bodies in the door is almost as important as the quality of the player.